Here Without You
by Hopeless-Romantic-Daydreamer
Summary: What happens when a woman looking for her real parents blacks out in Charming and Half Sack catches her?  Lots.  OC and AU Please read and review!  Read the story summary sucks
1. Chapter 1

_**A/U: Hello my darlings! Welcome to the newest of my SOA stories. This has been bugging me for the past few weeks. The first chapter may not seem SOA, but it'll come I promise! This is a multi-character story revolving around an O/C. It is completely AU, and starts before the beginning of season 1(present day is what I'll call before season 1 into the seasons). It is a Half Sack story; therefore, he's not going to die like he does in the show. **_

_**Please read and review!**_

_**Nicole

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**Present Day (February) - Charming, California

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**

She looked around her. The steady beeping of the heart monitor telling her she was still alive, the slow hiss of the oxygen flowing into her nose and the fluid flowing into her veins through the IV brought her to a harsh realization. She didn't understand what had happened in the past few months, all she knew was the future she had planned was flushed down the drain. The man she loved was gone. Her parents, and younger brother were lying in hospital beds in the hospital of her hometown. Her older brother and his family were in hiding, and under the protection of their father's old friends from Vietnam. Then, there was her, she was in this tiny little town in the middle of California, with a man she knew nothing about, a child on the way with a father who didn't know they existed yet. Her biological parents were somewhere in this little town, and that was the only reason she was here in the first place.

She lay in bed. Her tiny baby bump reminding her off all she had lost and was missing still. But she wasn't going to hate the baby, or want to get rid of it. Though she prayed she could be the best mother possible, especially now that she was all alone. She closed her eyes, and the happier days of her past returned before her very eyes…

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**August (Last Year) - Devil's Lake, North Dakota

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**

Raelyn O'Callaghan looked around at the smiling little ones that surrounded her. They weren't hers. She ran Tiny Rae's Daycare. She was the only full-time employee, the owner and manager of the place. She had two part-timers, both of which were college students. She loved kids and her niece and nephews were her inspiration for the Daycare. They were also her first clients. Her older brother, Connor, helped her open its doors by registering them. Now, she had 25 little ones between the ages of three months and 7 years old there. The age limit for the children in the center was 10 years old. The older ones would come after school, while the others were there all day with her. They all smiled at her. It was time for most of them to be picked up. All but Cody, Kierra, and Heath were headed home. The last three were her niece and nephews. She asked the two oldest ones, Cody and Kierra, to tidy up the toys in the center while she went to lock up the office. She had decided to hire another full time worker, as well as adding another part-timer; only that part-timer would be a morning and not an afternoon person. Once everything was tidied up she picked Heath up, locked the door, then went out to her car, only to see the love of her life, Kynan leaning casually against her Jeep.

"Uncle Kynan!" Kierra squealed and ran to him. The 3 year-old had the Green Beret wrapped around her little finger. He picked her up and swung her around.

Heath ran to his uncle and hugged his legs. "You're back!"

"Hey buddy!" Kynan smiled down at the youngster. He then looked up at Raelyn. "Hello gorgeous."

She walked casually up to him, placing Heath on her hip and kissed him on the lips. That brought about a round of 'ewwww' from Kierra and Cody. The couple laughed, causing baby Heath to gurgle and coo. "What are you doing home?" She asked.

He smiled, putting Kierra back on the ground, tousling Cody's hair. "I got leave. Training went faster than planned."

Raelyn's smile disappeared a little. "Doesn't that mean you'll be getting shipped out sooner?"

Kynan shook his head. "Not this time. My team's not due to ship out til the New Year now."

"Sooo, you're on leave until then?"

"Unless they call me back for more training, nope. Even if they did, I'd fly there and back as soon as I'm done. " He put his arm around her. "You're worried about this aren't you?"

Raelyn nodded. "Yeah. I mean we've been together almost 3 years now, so yeah, I worry a little."

"I love you Rae, I'm not going to just up and leave. I can't stand being away from you so much." He said.

She unlocked the Jeep, and they put the children in their booster seats, and Heath in his car seat. She handed him her keys, and hopped in the passenger seat. He started the vehicle and started puling away from the Daycare.

"What did you mean?"

"By what?"

"That you can't stand being away from me."

Kynan stopped at the red light and turned to her. "I mean this is my last tour of duty. I'm going to be an instructor after this last mission. It would mean me living in Fort Campbell full time, but it would mean I wouldn't be in harm's way all the time."

Raelyn felt tears building up. "But you love your job."

"Auntie Rae?" Cody asked.

Raelyn wiped the tear from her cheek and turned to face her 5 year-old nephew. "What is it sweetheart?"

"Aren't you happy that Uncle Kynan's gonna be here more?"

She had to smile. Cody was definitely Connor's son. Connor was the perfect example of the protective big brother. Connor had been adopted about 6 years before their parents had adopted Raelyn. "Yes Cody. It's just Auntie's in shock."

"It'll be ok Auntie!" Kierra piped up. "Soon, you get married, and we gets cousins!"

That statement alone was enough to cause Rae and Kynan to laugh. "Someday." They said.

Soon they were at Connor's house. The kids were excited to be home and once freed from their booster seats, ran to the house. Kynan carried Heath in. They were invited to stay for dinner, as Mia and Declan O'Callaghan, with their youngest son, Grant, were over for dinner.

After supper, Rae and Trisha, Connor's wife, set about doing dishes, while Mia dealt with bathing the two youngest ones. Cody was busy outside, playing catch with his Uncle Grant. While everyone else was occupied, Kynan asked Connor and Declan to join him in the study, because he had important news.

Once Declan had closed the door, he turned to Kynan. "What's the news?"

So Kynan explained that the tour he was going on in January would be his last. The others congratulated him.

That was when he said. "I love Rae, so much. I have since I first laid eyes on her all those years ago when Connor and I started university together. It's why I'm asking both of you, for her hand in marriage. Knowing I'll be in Fort Campbell permanently after this, I want to do this right. I want to marry her before we live together.

Connor smiled slyly. "Where are you staying when you're here?"

"Uhh…"

"We know you stay with her, and we're fine with that." Connor laughed. "I give you my blessing."

Declan absorbed it all. "I couldn't have chosen a better man for her. You can ask her for her hand."

Kynan breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"No problem. You're basically family since you and Connor started school anyhow." Declan shook his future son-in-law's hand. "Welcome to the family son."

Connor hugged his closest friend. "Congrats brother."

The three man snuck out of the study and were able to escape the attention of the women. Soon Rae was ready to go home. She began saying good night to the children.

"Happy weekend Auntie!" Kierra exclaimed, hugging her aunt tightly.

"Happy weekend to you too Kierra. Be good and I'll see you Monday morning." She kissed the youngster and hugged Cody. "Be good, and Monday afternoon, I'll take you kids out for ice cream."

"Yay!" They exclaimed. They then hugged Kynan who had been talking to Connor.

"Night night squirts. Don't let the bedbugs bite!"

"What if they do Uncle Kynan?"

Kynan laughed. "Then Uncle Kynan and his friends in the Army will have to come kick their butts."

That brought an outburst of laughter from all of them. Only the adults knew that Kynan was actually a Green Beret. It was better for the young ones to not know about all the violence that was out there. Connor and Trisha led the children inside. Kynan helped Rae into the Jeep and the two of them headed back to Rae's new apartment.

She had just leased that apartment, being the one of the youngest tenants in the building as she was only 22. After pulling into her stall, the couple headed up to their room, arm in arm.

**

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September- Devil's Lake, North Dakota

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**

It was nearing the end of the month, and Kynan was due back from Fort Campbell. Rae waited at the airport like she had done so many times in the past three years. She saw him, and ran to him, throwing herself into his arms.

"I missed you!" She breathed.

He kissed her deeply. "I missed you too, gorgeous. How are things?"

"Great. We're up to 30 kids now, max capacity. They're loving it. And, mom and dad are okay with the two of us living together. Which, personally I find odd, with them being all old fashioned and all that."

He laughed.

"You wouldn't happen to know something about that would you?" She arched her eyebrow at him.

He smirked, then kissed the tip of her nose. "I have no clue. Maybe they figure it's better to stop fighting the obvious."

"What's the obvious?" She kissed him as he put her back on her feet.

"That we love each other and we're going to be together." He took her hand as they headed out of the airport.

"You sound like Connor before he married Trisha."

"He is my best friend." Kynan laughed as he threw his duffle into the back of her Jeep.

Again, she tossed him the keys and the two headed off to what was obviously now their apartment. No one knew that her Jeep was actually a gift from him.

* * *

_**October – Devil's Lake, North Dakota

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**_

Kynan was heading out to set up his big surprise for that night. No one knew what was all planned. She was told to dress nicely, but warmly. So while he was out and about, she showered and changed into a pair of comfy jeans with her favorite boots, a long red sweater that went down to her thighs and her leather jacket. She applied a light amount of makeup and waited for Kynan to return to pick her up. She was really curious as to what he had planned. It was their three-year anniversary this weekend. She had hoped he'd propose soon, knowing what was coming up in their future. But he hadn't yet. She saw the lights of the Jeep coming to the building. She grabbed her scarf, locked the door and ran out to meet him. She stopped suddenly when she saw him standing with her door opened, and him in his dress uniform.

"What's wrong babe?" He asked, walking up to her.

"I don't think I'm dressy enough." She said looking at him.

He was the poster boy for promoting a military career. He made the uniform look good.

Kynan stood at just over 6'2" and was of a strong build. His hair was black and his eyes were a piercing greenish blue color. Every time Rae saw him in his dress greens, her breath hitched.

"You look beautiful. You don't need to change babe." He said softly as he slipped her arm through his, leading her to the Jeep.

Once he had her buckled in, he took out a black silk blindfold.

"What on earth do you have planned Captain?"

He looked between her and the blindfold. "My, my Raelyn O'Callaghan. Someone's mind is in the gutter tonight."

Rae flushed crimson. "No, but you still haven't explained the point of that blindfold." She stammered.

"Everything about tonight is a surprise, including the location. So trust me?"

She nodded and he gently tied the blindfold around her head, careful not to mess her hair. He then got in and drove. "Here Without You" by 3 Doors Down blared over the speakers.

It wasn't a long drive to where Kynan had set up his surprise. Over there, he went and undid her seatbelt and helped her from the Jeep. From there he guided her down a slight hill to the spot he had chosen for their special night. He helped her sit down on the blanket. Once she was seated, he sat next to her and undid her blindfold. Rae allowed her eyes to adjust to the dim moonlit night. On the blanket were, little flickering LED candles, and a huge picnic spread, alongside a bottle of chilled champagne.

"Oh." She gasped. "Kynan."

"Do you like it?" He asked, gently taking her hand.

She nodded. "It's amazing. You really are a romantic, you know that?"

He nodded. "I try." He then pointed up.

"Oh my god. The stars are all out tonight!" They spent a few moments admiring the Big Dipper and Orion's Belt.

Then Kynan opened the picnic basket and pulled out sandwiches and macaroni salad along with chocolate covered strawberries. He handed her a chicken salad sandwich and a small container of the salad. They ate, laughed and talked, sipping champagne and enjoyed the night. Kynan would occasionally glance at his watch. It was getting close to midnight. Once they had finished eating the main course, they took turns feeding each other the chocolate covered strawberries. At midnight, fireworks went off in the night sky. Rae jumped a little and looked up. Kynan took that opportunity to sneak the tiny ring box of his box.

The next blast of fire works spelled out "Will you marry me, Rae?"

She gasped and turned to him, then looked at the tiny box in his hand. In it sat, the most beautiful ring. It was white gold; an antique braid went around the band, studded with alternating tiny diamonds and opals. The main stone was a beautifully cut oval diamond that glittered in the pale moonlight. On either side of the main stone were two smaller oval opals.

"Kynan." She gasped.

He looked at her, a pleading look in his eyes.

"Yes! Oh yes! A thousand times… yes!" She exclaimed, tears of joy flowing down her cheeks.

He smiled and slid his grandmother's engagement ring onto her left ring finger. "You've made me the happiest man in the world." He kissed her deeply.

Soon, the two were rolling along the blanket, kissing, touching and groping. Not long after clothes were flying left, right and center. That was followed by their moans and cried in the throws of passion.

* * *

_**November – Devil's Lake, North Dakota**_

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Kynan was on another quick training mission somewhere in the Rockies and Rae was neck deep in finding a house for them in Fort Campbell through the base's webpage. Her day care was doing extremely well, and she was also looking at opening one on the base once they were set up there. In between all of that, she had begun her wedding planning. They had started on making the guest list, and arguments had arisen. She wanted him to invite his twin brother, and she wanted to find her biological parents. Kynan was against both of them. When she asked why, he told her it would be too much drama for their special day. She shook it off. She asked her mom if she knew anything about her birth parents.

Mia shook her head. "All I can tell you is that we adopted you while your father was stationed temporarily in San Diego. We got you right after you were born. And we loved you the moment we laid eyes on you. We couldn't wait to take you home, and when we did Connor told us no one would ever take his baby sister away. This was 22 years ago."

"I know Mom." Rae answered. "I'm not trying to replace my family, I would never do that. I love you, and Dad, and Connor and Grant, and everyone else. I just want to meet them and have them at my wedding, but it's gonna be you and Daddy walking me down that aisle. No one else."

That brought a tear of joy and pride to Mia O'Callaghan's eye. "Oh Rae. I know. I wish I could do more, sweetheart, but I don't know anything. All I know is that your real parents are from California, some small town called Charming."

"Charming?" Rae snickered.

"I know that's what I told your father when we brought you home." Mia hugged her daughter. "Just give Kynan some time and we'll figure it all out. Maybe he can use his resources to track down and crack open your file. We can't because it's sealed. That was the only way we could adopt back then, was closed adoption."

"It's okay Mom. Maybe Kynan's right and it would just result in unnecessary drama." Rae hugged her mother again. "I have to go though Mom, I have to pick Grant up and take him to the movies like I promised."

She spent the night laughing at the latest comedy with her brother. He may be the only biological child for their parents, but it didn't matter to any of them. Once she dropped him back off at home, she went home to sleep.

She woke up to her phone ringing. She looked at the face of the her Blackberry. Kynan's name was appearing and it was his ringtone playing. "Hello?"

"Hey babe. Sorry to wake you."

"No it's okay. I was going to be getting up right away anyhow. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I wanted to apologize for being an ass the other night. About you finding your birth parents and all that."

"Baby. It's okay. I can't find them even if I tried to. The records are sealed."

"Well, your dad and I will try. If it's what you really want."

"Oh Kynan. I love you so much. You don't have to do that."

He snickered. "I love you too gorgeous, but I think it would be good to meet your bio parents, for all of us to meet them."

"Okay. That sounds good to me. I love you."

"Love you too. I'll see you in two nights. I'll meet you at your parents for supper."

"Sure thing. Be safe."

"Will do. Say 'Hi' to the munchkins for me." Kynan then hung up the phone.

Rae then got up and proceeded to continue with her routine for the morning.

Two days later…

Rae met Kynan, as well as his parents and younger sister at her parents. They sat and enjoyed a meal and talked about the wedding and the details. They enjoyed each other's company and even planned on celebrating Christmas together.

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_**December – Devil's Lake, North Dakota.

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**_

It was Christmas Eve. Everyone was getting ready for Mass. They went together, and celebrated. Then they came home and opened gifts. They stayed up and watched "It's A Wonderful Life" until the wee hours of the morning.

Rae had decided she wanted to go Boxing Day shopping, so she did, while Kynan drove his family back home. They were going to meet up at her parents house so that Kynan could return Declan's SUV and they could spend a few days together alone before he had to ship out. She was almost there when her phone rang. She hit the answer button on her Bluetooth. "Hello."

"Hey babe."

"Kynan, dropped them off already?" She asked.

"Yep. Traffic has been so dead, cept for all these emergency vehicles going by."

"Emergency vehicles?" She looked around her. "I don't see any."

"They're all coming from the south."

"Oh. Well, I'm almost at your parents. I'll see you when you get here." He quickly said and then she heard the audible click of the line being disconnected.

She turned up the radio and continued down the highway. Soon enough she could see smoke billowing from down the road. She could see and hear fire trucks and police cars turning down the road she was about to. She slowed down. This was odd. There weren't many homes down this road. Her parents were one of the three families occupying this area. She floored the gas pedal and flew down the road. Her stomach was in knots as she drew closer to her parents home. She slammed on the brakes, stalling the Jeep. "NO!" She screamed.

Her parents' home was engulfed in flames. She jumped from the vehicle and ran towards it. "Mom! Dad! Grant! NOOOO!" There were firemen that tried blocking her path but she continued to try and push her way through. Finally two strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist. They lifted her off the grown. She fought against her attacker. "No! Let me go! I need to get to them!"

"Babe. Stop. It's me." Kynan's strong voice came through the roar of the flames.

Rae stopped kicking and fighting. Kynan put her back on the ground, and turned her to face him. Tears were streaming down her face.

"Are they…?"

"No. They're out. The paramedics are waiting for the Medi-Vac to air lift them out."

"Oh god!" She buried her head in his chest.

He wrapped his arms tightly around her. "They're unconscious, but they should be okay."

"What happened?"

"They're not sure exactly, but right now they can tell it was arson."

Sobs wracked her body again. "Why?"

"I found this note, and I'm not about to give it to the cops."

Rae looked up at him, rage in her eyes. "Why the hell not? It could be a key to solving this."

"Because this was meant for you. Whoever did this, did it to get even with your birth parents."

Rae's jaw dropped. "Oh my God."

"They musta found out who you are, through us looking for them and trying to get your records opened. Your dad actually found out who it was. He was going to tell you tonight."

She just buried her head in his chest again and sobbed. Who the hell were her biological parents and what had they done to these monsters to have them resort to torching an innocent family's home?

The police came and questioned them, and they both explained that they knew nothing. Rae didn't want this to happen again. The choppers came and took her parents and brother away. The fire was finally under control, and Kynan took her to the Jeep and then they drove off to go to Connor and explain all of this, before the cops got to them.

Connor's House:

Connor O'Callaghan answered the door. "Rae? Kynan? What the hell are you doing here at this hour?"

Rae tried to explain, but the sobs kept reappearing. So Kynan explained, then showed Connor the note, that Rae had yet to see. Connor was enraged. He knew that his family was still in danger. "Kynan come with me. Rae, sit by the fire. We'll be right back."

Rae just nodded.

Kynan and Connor went to Connor's office. "Is my family in danger?" Connor asked.

Kynan nodded solemnly. "Sadly yes. Rae is still in danger too, and I can't do much more to keep her safe. Declan knew her parents, her real ones, personally."

"Shit."

"Yeah. Call your dad's buddies from 'Nam and get them to keep you safe."

"How do you…?"

"It's a Beret thing. Just do it. Leave now, take what you need and go. I'll take care of Rae."

"Thanks brother. Keep her safe. What about…?"

"I'll call my buddies that are still here. They'll keep an eye out on the rest of your family. But they're gonna be in hospital for a while."

Connor slammed his hand on his desk. "Damn it! Okay. Be safe." He turned on his heel to collect his family and their belongings to flee into the night.

Kynan took Rae and carried her back to the Jeep. She asked what was going on, and Kynan gave her the brief outline, forgoing telling her that it was her biological parents that were to blame for this tragedy. "I'll take you to the hospital. From there we're packing some stuff, and we're going to Fort Campbell. You'll stay there until I come back. Just in case they try this again."

Rae nodded, and just stared out the window as they drove to the hospital.

* * *

_**End of January- Fort Campbell, Kentucky

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**_

Rae hated being here. Her parents, and Grant were still in hospital. They were in the Burn unit. Each of them suffered from smoke inhalation and various burns. Her mother needed grafts, as did her father. Grant on the other hand had a concussion from the blast that had erupted before they had gotten him out. He was in a coma, though doctors were optimistic of his recovery. Kynan had been in Afghanistan for over 2 weeks now. Connor was still in hiding, though she would get e-mails from him about how the children were and that he and Trisha were doing well. While staying in the house Kynan had bought them, Rae had found the note Kynan had tried to hide. She had discovered who her parents were. Their names anyhow. She packed a bag, and headed out to her Jeep. She was going to Charming.

As she drove, she had to make frequent stops due to the constant urge to vomit. She knew why, but there was no way this was going to stop her from finding out why the family she loved was targeted because of the people who had made her, but given her away.

She drove for what seemed forever. She passed through into Nevada after three days. The trip was only supposed to take her 2, but because of the nausea, traveling took a lot longer. She was in Reno now. She decided to pull into a motel for the night. She crashed and slept fitfully once again.

The next morning, after spending twenty minutes heaving in the bathroom, 30 minutes in the shower trying to wash away her anxiety and pain. She then called the hospital to get information on her family. Grant had been transferred from the burn unit to a neuro bed for more observation on his concussion. He was responding to stimulus, which meant he was getting better. Her mother was scheduled for another grafting procedure for that afternoon and her father had finally regained consciousness. She even got to talk to him to tell him she was all right and she'd be home to see them once she took care of business.

"I love you." Was all he said. She told him she loved him and missed him.

Once she was done with that, she paid her bill and hopped in her Jeep pointing it West and headed for Charming. She drove for hours, traffic was light, but she didn't want to risk getting sick anymore. She finally arrived as the sun began to set. She stopped outside the little grocery store, figuring it would be one place to get information. She noticed a large group of bikers and bikes in town. It shocked her. She wasn't used to these types of people being around. Devil's Lake had a few bikers, but they had bought them for a midlife crisis. They weren't into the whole 'gang thing'. Actually when she thought about it, the Devil's Lake group was a lot like "Wild Hogs." At that thought she laughed, all because her dad was a part of it. It was a good memory.

She got out of the Jeep, went in bought a bottle of anti-nauseant and a 6 pack of gingerale. She hopped this would last for a bit. As she was walking out of the store, she was overcome with a way of nausea and light-headedness. She dropped the bag with her purchase and the world went fuzzy. Some guy reached out and caught her. The last thing she remembered was the world going black and a spray of gingerale hitting her.

St. Thomas Hospital… 

"Hey! Can I get some help here?" Half-Sack shouted as he pushed through the doors of the ER.

A nurse came at him with a gurney. He laid the unconscious woman he had caught leaving the store, on it.

"What happened?" Dr. Tara Knowles said approaching the gurney.

"Dunno Doc." Half-Sack said. "I was going into the store and she was coming out, and she just blacked out. I caught her, but I didn't get a good grip, and I think I may have accidentally dislocated her shoulder."

Tara nodded and took her into an examining room.

Sack sat in the waiting room. There was something about that girl that was familiar and he needed to know who she was.

Tara took note of her vitals. They went through her wallet and found her name and medical information. She wasn't from here, but somewhere out there, she had a fiancé that loved her, a lot, judging by the rock on her left hand. She ordered a full spectrum of tests, and ordered a saline drip started. The poor thing was dehydrated and sick. While she was unconscious, they reset her arm. It was then that Rae regained conciousness.

"Ow!" She cried out. She then looked around panicked.

"Shh…. Calm down Miss O'Callaghan. It's alright." A nurse in violet scrubs said. "You're safe. You're in St. Thomas Hospital, in Charming."

"What happened?" She asked hoarsely.

Tara turned back to face her. "You blacked out leaving the store. Someone caught you as you fell. He didn't have a good grip, and accidentally dislocated your shoulder."

"Oh." Rae put her head back on the pillow. She looked to Tara. "Did you give me anything?"

Tara shook her head. "Not yet. Why?"

"Because I think I'm pregnant."

Tara quickly ordered a pregnancy test. Once results came back, they adjusted the medication for pain and brought her up to a room. The man that she had seen outside the store followed them up. Once she was settled in they gave her a light sedative to allow her to rest and Tara went to talk to Half-Sack.

"She'll be ok."

Sack looked into her room through the glass. Something glittered on her hand that was in a sling, caught his eye. "Can I go in, and talk to her?"

"Sure." Tara led him in.

He looked at her hand, gently taking it in his, careful not to disturb her injured shoulder.

"Sack? What is it?"

"This ring. It looks familiar, and for that matter so does she."

"How? You've never been to Devil's Lake, North Dakota have you?"

Sack shook his head. "No." Then he remembered the letter he had gotten two days ago. He took it out of his Prospect's cut and read it quickly. Tara looked at him with an odd look.

"What is it?" Tara asked.

Sack handed the letter to Tara. She looked between him and the unconscious woman in the bed. "She's your brother's fiancée?" She whispered.

"Yeah. My twin brother's to be exact. Kynan and haven't spoken in almost 8 years though."

"You have a twin?"

"Yes. We have the same DNA but we look nothing alike."

"And he sent you that letter, asking you to watch over her?"

"Yeah. He's on a tour in Afghanistan."

Tara felt the pain for this young woman. "How did you recognize the ring?"

"It was my grandmother's. She gave it to him in her will when we were young."

Tara nodded. "Someone should be here when she wakes up."

"I'll stay." Sack took a seat next to her and held her good hand. He would have a lot of explaining to do. To her and to others.

* * *

_**February (Present Day)_- Charming, California

* * *

**_

Rae woke up again. The man was still by her bedside.

"Hey. You're awake."

His voice, and his eyes looked familiar. "Do I know you?" She asked.

"No. But you know my brother."

Rae cocked her head to the side.

"My name is Kip Epps. Your future brother-in-law."

* * *

_**A/U: Well that is the beginning of this latest story. It's been bugging me for a while, so now I'm finally able to publish it. There will be more coming soon. Please read and review! Love hearing what you think.**_

_**Love always Nicole**_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello again! So after a long while, I finally have Chapter 2 ready to post! Yay! So, we'll pick up where we left off. So happy to have your reviews and appreciate all the alerts and favorites you guys have done for this story. **

**Sorry for it taking so long. It's just hard to write with school and work and when my brain refuses to stay in SOA mode.**

**So here is Chapter 2 of "Here Without You"**

**Read, Enjoy and Please Review!**

**Love always.**

**Nicole**

"_My name is Kip Epps. I'm you're future brother-in-law."_

Rae looked at him in shock. "What?"

"Kynan is my twin."

"You two look nothing alike."

Half Sack laughed. "I'm used to it. We may not look alike, but I was born an hour before him."

Rae leaned back into her pillows. She had come here to find her biological parents, yet she had managed to find her fiancé's brother instead. "Wow. So you're the oldest?"

He nodded. "Mhmm. How are you feeling?"

"Sore." She replied.

"I can get Tara to come give you something."

Rae cocked her brow again. "Tara?"

"The doc."

"You call your doctors by their first names here?"

"It's a small town, plus she's pretty well known."

"Oh. Okay. I guess I can live with that." Rae managed to smile lightly.

Sack excused himself and went to find Tara. The nurse explained that Tara had gone on an emergency call, but that orders were left to give Rae the medication if she needed it. The nurse got the medication and Sack followed her back to the room. Once Rae was settled, they set about talking. They talked about Kynan for a while. Sack explained that he had gotten the letter from Kynan so he was expecting her arrival.

That was when Rae asked. "Why didn't Kynan talk to you anymore? I wanted to invite you to our wedding, but he wouldn't hear of it."

Kip hung his head. "It's a long story."

Raelynn pointed at her arm in a sling and the IV. "I'm not going anywhere."

He laughed. "Fair enough. Well to start, you should know, all the men in my family served in the army. My dad was a Green Beret back in the day."

Rae nodded. She knew this part of the story. It always seemed to be the bright point of the Epps family history.

"Well as Kynan and I got older, we both wanted to serve. The only problem was that I wanted to be a Marine."

Rae's jaw dropped. It was all starting to make sense now.

"So I sent in my application for the Marines. I was shocked that I got accepted right off the bat. Kynan got his acceptance and a scholarship for him to study medicine to become a corpsman." Kip took a deep breath. "I hid my letter for a few weeks, but eventually Mom found it. Mom and Dad were a little disappointed but were happy because I was going to do something I wanted. Kynan, on the other hand, felt that I was betraying my family. We got into a huge ass fight, which resulted with black eyes, broken noses and some other injuries. He told me he never wanted to see me again. So I packed my stuff and headed out. That was about 10 years ago."

"Oh my God. I didn't know it was that bad." Rae exclaimed.

Kip nodded. "Mom and Dad had it hardest because they got caught between the two of us. They did come down here though, when I got sent back from Iraq."

"What happened out there?" She asked, without thinking. "You don't have to tell me. I kinda spoke without thinking."

"It's okay. I'll be straightforward though. I got half castrated by en IED."

Rae's jaw dropped. "Oh."

Kip blushed a little. "Yeah, so it's why everyone calls me Half-Sack or Sack."

"I see. Well I prefer Kip. If you don't mind." Rae blushed.

"It's up to you." He smiled. "Do you prefer Raelynn or Rae?"

"I prefer Rae. But you can call me Raelynn, if you'd like. Just, being called Raelynn reminds me of being a kid in trouble again."

"Okay. So glad I get to meet you. It seems you're the reason Kynan wants to mend fences. Any idea why?" Kip asked.

Rae knew why now. "Possibly because I'm trying to find my biological parents."

Kip scratched his head. So Rae went into details in the explanation of who she was and explained her desire to meet and get to know her real parents.

**Meanwhile…**

Tara was called to the OR for a crash C-section. When she arrived she was shocked to see that the mother was Wendy Teller. The procedure went as well as it could, considering the amount of drugs it seemed Wendy had ingested throughout her pregnancy. After bringing Wendy back to her room and setting her son up in the NICU, Tara was almost attacked by Gemma and Jax concerning the baby's health.

Before Jax tore out the hospital, he told her. "His name is Abel."

After he left, Gemma and Clay attacked her again. She tried to calm them down and explain everything but with little success.

"Dr. Knowles to room 3-51." A page came over the intercom.

She was a little shocked. That was Rae's room, and she had been doing fine when she left this morning.

"I have to go check on a this patient." She interrupted Gemma's rant.

Gemma and Clay were dumbfounded as Tara just walked away from them. They weren't finished with her yet so they took off after her. She went into another patient's room at the other end of the 3rd floor in the General Medicine wing. They stopped outside and looked into the window. Their jaws dropped when they saw the young woman in the bed. Clay was even more shocked to see Half-Sack sitting with her.

"It can't be!" Gemma exclaimed.

Clay, not wanting to make a scene, gently tapped on the window and got Sack's attention. Sack noticed, and excused himself from the room. "What's up Clay?"

"Who is that?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"Her name's Raelynn O'Callaghan." Sack looked between Clay and Gemma. Something was off. "Why?"

Gemma, upon hearing Rae's name became hysterical. Tara was just coming to check up on Rae caught the scene outside her patient's room. "What is going on here?" She pointed to Gemma. "What's her problem?"

Clay put his arm around Gemma's weeping form. "You got somewhere that we can all talk, Doc?"

Tara nodded and led them to a private waiting room, usually used for families waiting on news of the fate of their loved one. She locked the door. "Care to explain what the fuck you two are doing outside a patient's room, especially since you don't even know her?" Tara snapped. She'd never really gotten along with Jax's mother and stepfather, nor how they operated, but there wasn't much she could do about it.

"I wanna know what the Prospect's doing in her room?" Clay growled.

"She's the girl I helped out the other day… and she's my future sister-in-law." Sack looked to the stricken Gemma. "What's the difference to you?"

Gemma and Clay looked between each other. He nodded. She slowly spoke. "Because she's our daughter."

Half Sack's jaw dropped then he began to laugh. "That's really fricken' funny guys. She's not even from here."

"We know. Her family's from Devil's Lake."

Sack's jaw dropped again. "How?"

Tara nodded. "Yeah, exactly how do you know that? Did you grab her chart, so you could sweet talk her into being one of you?" She accused Gemma. "I know your games. She's an innocent woman, and I won't let you ruin her life."

"I gave birth to her just over 22 years ago." Gemma sat. "I'll tell you the whole story…"

_**Flashback… 1986**_

"_How long will you be gone?" She asked her husband, toting 2-year-old Tommy on her hip, while 8-year-old Jackson played with his toys in the corner._

"_Not too long." John Teller stated as he closed his last bag. "It's just to set up the charter in Ireland."_

"_But we have a charter here, and you have a family." Gemma nodded at Jax._

_John stood up and faced his wife. "We have to do it Gemma. I'll make sure Clay watches out over you guys til I come back."_

"_I don't want Clay!" She screeched. She'd had enough of this. She had suspected there was a crow eater in the picture, and she'd never be able to prove. "I want my family together! Send someone who isn't married with children to set up the new charter."_

_He shook his head. "You know that's not possible." He took Tommy from her, who had begun to whimper. "I'm the only one that can go."_

"_Whatever." She grabbed her son back and went to take him to bed. "Do whatever you want John. I'll just sit by and watch this whole thing self-destruct."_

_John watched as his wife left the room. Both sons were with her. She didn't get it yet. He prayed that maybe Clay could talk some sense into Gemma while he was gone. He heard a Harley pull into the drive. He looked out the curtain and saw Clay dismount. He went to the door with his bags. Clay walked in. _

"_How'd the Old Lady take it?" He asked._

_John just shook his head. "Not good. She thinks that one of you single goons should be the ones to go."_

"_Why's that?" Clay made his way to the kitchen to help himself to John's beer._

"_Because she thinks I should be with family."_

"_Well, you will be once the charter's up." Clay took a swig of the brew._

_John grabbed one and popped the top. "I know that. I told her, but I think she's just being all woman, and flustered."_

_Clay just laughed. "Well have a good trip and we'll see you once SAMBEL is fully up and running."_

_With that John grabbed his bags and took off into the night. Clay was staying at the Teller's. He unpacked his small bag in the guest room and lay on the bed. He could hear Gemma weeping in the room next to his. He knew in a way she had a point that John should've stayed behind, but there wasn't much anyone in the club could do to convince him otherwise._

_**2 years later… 1988**_

_Clay walked into the clubhouse. He saw Gemma at the bar with a bottle of Jack Daniel's in her hand. He walked over and saw most of the bottle was gone._

"_Gemma?" He asked._

_She turned to face him. She'd been crying and now she'd drunk half the bottle of whiskey. "He's cheating on me." She managed to say._

"_Who? What?"_

"_John!" She cried out. "I just talked to him on the phone. There was a woman there, she answered the phone. The whole thing was off." She sobbed and went to take another swig of the whiskey. _

_Clay knocked the bottle out of her hand. "No more booze. Let's get you home."_

"_No!" She wept. "I want to drink. I want this to all just go away!"_

_She loved John, but obviously, he didn't love her anymore. He'd rather be with some Irish whore than with the mother of his children. He'd been gone way longer than what the club had said he would be. Her worst fears had now come true. _

_Clay understood her pain. He'd betrayed her. He'd get the club to look into it while he tended to her. He threw her over his shoulder and carried her to her car. He put her in the passenger seat and hopped in behind the wheel. Luckily Piney had Harry that was Jax's best friend. He'd make sure that the kids would be able to spend the night there, while he tended to what would be Gemma's bad day tomorrow. He brought her home and put her in bed. This was going to be a very long day and tomorrow would be even worse. He went back downstairs to make some calls so that the kids would be taken care. Now he just had to deal with comforting his best friend's wife._

_The next morning, Gemma woke up with a splitting headache. Why had she gone and been stupid? She tried to get up but it hurt to move. She looked around to see if there was something that could help her get out of bed. She turned over to the other side of the bed and saw that Clay had slept on the floor next to the bed. "Clay? What are you doing here?" She asked._

_He grunted and forced himself to open his eyes. "I'm doing my job." He moaned. "Your floor is hard as rock."_

"_It's not meant to sleep on." She tried to feel more humorous than she actually did._

"_Yeah. I got that now." He looked up. Gemma's face was pained and white as a sheet. "You okay?"_

_She shook her head. "I think I'm going to be sick."_

_He groaned as he got off the floor. He helped her out of bed and then slowly guided her to the bathroom. He stood outside the door as she suffered the cruel effects of a hangover. He peeked in once the vomiting sounds had stopped. She was slumped against the tub. She was shaking and Clay knew she wasn't doing good. He went into the bathroom and reached around her to start the water running. "Come on doll, I'm gonna help you shower."_

_She weakly lifted her head. "I don't think that's necessary."_

_He contradicted her. "It is, and I'm going to do it." He stood his ground. "Now either you take those clothes off, or I'll do it for you."_

_She tried, but to no avail. He helped her get out of the clothes and then bathed her. Once she was cleaned, she felt better. She was still hungover, but at least now she could walk on her own. He followed her back to the bedroom. She sat on the bed. "Join me."_

"_I can't do that." He shook his head. _

"_It doesn't matter. He's gone, and he's with some Irish bimbo now. You can finally have me." She batted her eyes at him. "I know that you've always wanted me, Clay. Even if I married your best friend."_

_Clay hadn't told anyone of his longing for Gemma, and yet she knew it. "He's still my friend."_

_She slowly undid the towel and let it slide away. He fought his urge to jump her. Her body was perfect, even with the scar from her surgery. He fought. Finally she got up from the bed and slowly made her way to him. When he tried to back away, his back hit the door._

"_Damn it."_

"_You know you want to." She kissed his neck then nibbled on his ear lobe._

"_Gemma." He growled. His jeans were tightening. "If we start, we're going to finish, there's no going back."_

"_I know." She whispered in his ear. Her warm breath sent shivers down his spine._

"_There's no going back." He tried to convince her that this was wrong._

_There was no convincing her. He finally caved and pushed her to the bed._

_**Later on…**_

_Gemma knew something was up. She looked at the calendar. "Shit." She said._

"_What's up?" Clay asked as he walked in the kitchen, the boys in tow. _

_Ever since he'd been here to help, the boys had taken to "Uncle Clay", and they'd do whatever he asked them._

"_Nothing."_

_He looked at her, and knew she was lying. "I know something's wrong."_

_She didn't know what to do at this point. "Jax, take your brother outside and go see if Piney's here with Harry."_

_Jax did as his mother asked and took Tommy to wait for his best friend._

_Clay looked at her. "So what's wrong?"_

"_I'm late."_

"_For?"_

_She hit herself. "You're really that clueless. I didn't get my period."_

"_You think you're knocked up?" He scratched his face._

"_It's the only logical answer. I'm too young for menopause."_

"_But…" He tried to figure it out._

"_No, buts. If I'm pregnant, it's yours."_

"_Well, how the hell do we hide it?"_

_Gemma thought about it. Abortion was out of the question. She was too well known. "I say we give it up for adoption. We'll go out of town once I can't hide it anymore and deal with it that way."_

"_It's your choice."_

"_Well if we keep it, and John comes back, he'll know it's not his."_

"_I told you what we did was going to have consequences." Clay growled. He didn't want to give up his child, but they wouldn't have a choice. "I'll find someone who'll take it, and raise it right."_

_She nodded as he flew out of the house and collapsed. "What have I done?"_

_**End flashback…**_

Tara looked at the couple. "So that explains how she came to exist, but how'd she end up in Devil's lake?"

Sack was thankful Tara had asked the question, and not him. Clay would've probably ripped his other nut off.

Clay sighed and continued….

_**Flashback… early 1989**_

_He knew Gemma would have to go soon. The baby was due soon. She'd managed to keep it hidden all this time. She rarely went out, feigning illness, and the boys spent a lot of time with Piney and Harry. He'd finally found a way out of the situation, and now he had to deliver the news._

"_Gemma?" He called into the eerily quiet house._

"_Kitchen." Came the reply._

_He led the couple to the kitchen. Gemma was busy trying to make pie dough and by the looks of the kitchen, it wasn't going well. "I brought some people you should meet."_

_Gemma looked up. "Who are they?"_

"_Declan and Mia O'Callaghan." Clay introduced them. "They're here because they'd like to adopt the baby."_

_Gemma knew that this was inevitable, but she hadn't thought it would happen this quickly. "Oh. I see. Well it's nice to meet you."_

"_We know the whole story." Declan extended his hand. "Our lips are sealed."_

_Gemma's mouth formed an 'O'. "Do you have other children?"_

"_A son." Mia spoke softly with a southern drawl, "His name is Connor. We've wanted more for a long time, but it hasn't really been possible."_

"_It's okay. I can see that you'll love this baby." Gemma said softly. "We'll be in touch."_

"_Actually," Clay said. "I was thinking you could stay with them until it's time."_

"_Where are you staying?" She asked the couple._

"_San Diego." Declan offered. "We're going to be moving once I'm done with the Berets."_

"_You know Clay from 'Nam?" Gemma declared._

_Declan nodded. "I know John too. Don't approve of what he's done but it's his life. We're willing to help you."_

"_Thank you. I think that should work. I'll send the boys to be with their grandfather for a bit."_

"_Okay. I'll go too." Clay said. "I'll work it up to something for the club."_

"_Okay. We'll head out the day after tomorrow. I have some stuff to finalize about our charter in Devil's Lake." Declan nodded._

"_Why Devil's Lake?" Gemma asked._

_Mia smiled, and spoke softly. "Because that's where we're headed once Declan's term is up."_

"_Oh." Gemma looked around. Part of her didn't want to give up her child, but to save her marriage, she needed to, even if her husband hadn't been completely faithful._

_**Mid 1989…**_

"_Oh my God!" Gemma exclaimed. She looked at the nightstand. The clock's face read 11:50pm. She thought baby had just given a swift kick to her bladder, but it happened again. She thought the worst. Something was happening. Just then her water broke._

_**End Flashback…**_

"So my water broke and they took me to the hospital." Gemma sighed. "After 10 hours of labor, I delivered a little girl. We quickly saw her before she was whisked away." A tear rolled down her cheek at the thought of letting her only daughter go. "We didn't want to risk getting too attached."

"So you let her go with members of another charter?" Tata asked. The story had truly intrigued her.

Clay nodded. "Now, can someone please explain to me what the hell she's doing back in Charming?" The question was directed at Tara.

"I can't tell you that." Tara replied. "It's doctor-patient confidentially, you know that."

"She's our daughter." Gemma pleaded. "Is she sick?"

"Gemma, you gave her up for adoption. I can't tell you anything." Tara took that opportunity to take her leave. "If you want to know, go ask her, just don't upset her, or I'll have you removed from this hospital."

Gemma and Clay watched as her back disappeared. Half Sack tried to sneak away, but Gemma grabbed his arm. "How do you know her again?"

Sack couldn't say no, not if he wanted is cut. "My brother is her fiancé. He sent me a letter from Afghanistan, asking me to watch over her."

"Okay, but how did you find her?" Clay's eyes were steely.

Sack sighed. "I can't tell you." He knew that wasn't the answer the President of SAMCRO wanted to hear, but he too needed to protect Rae, and whether she was SAMCRO or not, she didn't know anything of her past.

"Prospect, you tell me the truth." Clay waved his fist in Sack's face. "Or else you're gonna regret even wanting to be part of SAMCRO."

"You want to talk to her, I can arrange it, but I can't tell you what she's got or anything else. It's not my business." Sack stood his ground. He knew it maybe wasn't the wisest decision but he still stood for family first. "All I can tell you is that she's happy, and she's had a great life with the family that raised her. She's happy with my brother and if it helps you guys, she's looking for her birth parents."

Gemma sighed in relief. "Can we see her now?"

Sack shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I'll ask, but I'm with the doc. Don't upset her. She doesn't need that shit."

The couple nodded as Sack went to find out if Rae was up to learning this information. He didn't know if her knowing was a good idea, but it wasn't his choice. He was also suspecting that maybe it was the club's fault her adopted family had almost been blown to smithereens.

He entered her room and she was slurping some chicken broth. "Hey." She smiled.

"Hey yourself." He sat next to her. "That soup any good?"

She shrugged. "Meh, I've had better. What took so long? Who were those people?"

"You ask a lot of questions, little sister." He laughed. "That guy's my boss. He needed to talk to me."

"I see." Rae put the soup down. "So what's with the serious face?"

"I found something out, and it's about you."

She cocked her head to the side. "Okay?"

"I think they'd better explain it, if you feel up to it?" He pointed to the doorway where Clay and Gemma stood waiting.

Rae nodded. "I guess."

Clay and Gemma came into the room. They introduced themselves and began to tell their story.

_**A/N: Okay, so it took a lot longer than planned to get this chapter up, but I had to get it perfect.**_

_**Thanks for all the encouragement and support for it, means the world to me.**_

_**Please let me know what you think.**_

_**Nicole **_


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